Officials Blame Technical Glitch For Loops In Dashcam Video Of Sandra Bland Arrest
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Despite multiple breaks and jumps in dashcam video of Sandra Bland's arrest in Texas, authorities insisted the recording released on Tuesday has not been edited, and blamed the problems on a glitch while uploading the video.
Tuesday afternoon, the Texas Department of Public Safety posted a 52-minute video to YouTube, showing State Trooper Brian Encinia pulling Bland over for a traffic violation.
After Encinia informed Bland he was giving her a warning, and asked her to put out her cigarette, the encounter escalated into a shouting match, as Encinia repeatedly ordered Bland to exit the vehicle, and she demanded to know why she suddenly was being arrested.
Bland exited her car when the trooper pulled out a stun gun and pointed it at her.
"Get out of the car. I will light you up. Get out," Encinia shouted.
The argument continues as the two move off camera, and Bland is heard shouting expletives at Encinia, and saying he slammed her head into the ground.
The audio of the traffic stop seems to continue uninterrupted, but, multiple loops and skips in the video portion of the recording have raised questions about whether the video was edited.
At one point, a car repeatedly moves into the frame, but then vanishes. At another point in the video, a tow truck arrives to haul away Bland's car, and the tow truck driver is seen exiting the truck, and walking off camera. Seconds later, he is seen exiting the truck again, and then a third time.
"The video has not been edited. To eliminate any concerns as to the efficacy of the video DPS previously requested the FBI examine the dash cam and jail video to ensure the integrity of the video. The entire video was uploaded to include the audio and video of the conversation the trooper had by telephone with his sergeant, which occurred after the arrest. Some of the video that occurred during this conversation was affected in the upload and is being addressed. We are working to repost the dash-cam video," said Texas Department of Public Safety public information officer Tom Vinger.
In response to the glitches, the video uploaded on Tuesday was taken down and the Texas DPS re-uploaded the dashcam video which they say fixes the glitches seen in the original.
Bland was arrested on July 10, after allegedly kicking Encinia during the traffic stop, and she was found hanging in her jail cell three days later. The Waller County Sheriff's office has said she committed suicide, but her family has called for an independent investigation, saying she would not kill herself, as she was in Texas to start a new job at her alma mater.
Texas Department of Public Safety authorities reportedly are taking a closer look at the dashcam video of Bland's arrest, as the Texas Rangers and the FBI investigate Bland's death.